Home to an astounding population of nearly 20 million people in its greater metropolitan area, Mexico City is something to see. The capital city has a notably large LGBT community, and hosts the country’s biggest Pride parade every June.

Mexico City’s government is trying to transform one of the world’s largest cities by beautifying public spaces, parks and monuments buried beneath a sea of honking cars, street hawkers, billboards and grime following decades of dizzying urban growth.

Big and gritty and complex and glamorous, Mexico City defies categorization. El Distrito Federal or DF, as the city is commonly called, is far more nuanced than many of the country’s famous resort towns, where the tourism bubble stays easily intact.

Until recently, Baja California’s culinary contribution to the world amounted to the Caesar salad, a dish hardly associated with Mexican food. Beyond that, this long, thin peninsula was known more for its Chinese food and pizza.

Celebrating its 18th year, the Festival Gourmet International returns on November 8th - 18th to tempt the taste buds of hundreds of foodies who will gather in Riviera Nayarit, Tepic and Puerto Vallarta for this international gourmet event.